Africa Clean Air Forum Daily Update - Day 2

The second day of the Clean Air Forum opened with a powerful keynote address on the health effects of air pollution from Dr Caradee Wright of the South African Medical Research Council. Dr Wright explained that air pollution is a global health crisis, but that Africa bears a disproportionate part of this burden, with 1.1 million premature deaths caused by PM2.5. But the crisis is an economic one as well. Recent studies in Ghana and Ethiopia have shown billions of dollars of losses associated with the health costs and reduced productivity caused by air pollution.

"Air pollution taxes our economies quietly, continuously, and regressively.

Clean air must become an investment priority in Africa

A high-level plenary on development finance examined how to unlock greater investment for clean air across Africa, emphasizing that air pollution should be viewed as a development and economic issue, not only an environmental one.

The Clean Air Fund highlighted a significant financing gap. According to the latest State of Global Air Quality Funding report, less than 1% of international development finance is dedicated to air quality, with Africa receiving only around 4% of global air quality funding despite carrying one of the world's highest pollution burdens. Speakers noted that while external funding remains important, African countries will increasingly need to mobilize domestic resources and integrate clean air into broader climate, transport, energy and urban development investments.

UNDP identified four persistent barriers to investment: fragmented institutional mandates, weak project pipelines, limited integration of air quality into public budgeting, and insufficient political commitment. Participants stressed that making air quality "investment-ready" requires stronger economic analyses that quantify health, productivity and climate benefits in terms that finance ministries and investors understand.

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) showcased how blended finance—combining concessional finance, commercial capital and government commitment—can help de-risk projects with significant public health benefits. A notable example was the desulfurization of a refinery in West Africa, where public investment, development finance institutions and local banks worked together to upgrade refinery infrastructure and reduce sulfur levels in transport fuels. The case illustrated how targeted public finance can unlock much larger investments while delivering measurable air quality improvements.

Speakers concluded that three priorities are critical to closing the financing gap. First, position clean air as a smart investment, demonstrating the economic returns through improved health, productivity and reduced healthcare costs. Second, embed air quality objectives within broader climate and development programmes, allowing projects to access larger sources of finance rather than competing as standalone environmental initiatives. Third, catalyse diverse financing sources by combining domestic public finance, development banks, climate funds, philanthropy and private capital. Across all discussions, participants agreed that robust data, clear investment cases and well-prepared projects will be essential to mobilize financing at the scale needed to improve air quality across Africa.

Technical sessions showcase practical solutions for cleaner air

Technical sessions throughout the day highlighted how evidence, regional cooperation and knowledge sharing are accelerating clean air action across Africa. Discussions underscored the importance of open air quality data, harmonized transport policies and sector-specific interventions to translate science into implementation.

A dedicated session launched the Global Call to Open Air Quality Data, built around five principles: representative monitoring, open and sovereign data systems, data quality, harmonized standards, and turning data into action. Participants emphasized that air quality data should be treated as public digital infrastructure, enabling governments, researchers and communities to make informed decisions. At the same time, speakers acknowledged persistent challenges, including the high costs of maintaining monitoring networks, limited technical capacity and the need for sustainable partnerships to ensure long-term access to quality data.

Transport emerged as one of the sectors with the greatest potential to deliver immediate health and air quality benefits. The Climate and Clean Air Coalition  highlighted that cleaner transport requires financing and technical assistance alongside strong policies. The SADC Secretariat reported that 11 of its 16 Member States have transitioned to 50 ppm sulfur fuels, with two countries already introducing 10 ppm ultra-low sulfur diesel, demonstrating the value of regional harmonization in accelerating cleaner fuel markets and supporting modern vehicle technologies. National experiences from South Africa and Uganda reinforced the importance of implementing cleaner fuel standards, strengthening vehicle inspection and maintenance programmes, improving emissions monitoring and accelerating the transition to electric mobility. Speakers also welcomed the adoption of the African Continental E-Mobility Framework by African transport and energy ministers in 2026 as a major milestone for the continent. The session concluded with the presentation of the Air Quality Management Exchange (AQMx) road transport guidance, which provides countries with practical tools, technical guidance and opportunities for peer learning to support the adoption of cleaner fuels, stronger vehicle emission standards, inspection and maintenance systems, and broader clean transport policies.

Additional technical sessions showcased how robust evidence is strengthening the case for clean air interventions across multiple sectors. Case studies from Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa demonstrated the health and air quality benefits of improved waste management, cleaner household energy and low-emission transport, while highlighting the importance of monitoring and health impact assessments to quantify benefits and inform investment decisions. Together, the sessions reinforced that integrating air quality into climate, transport, waste and energy planning can deliver substantial co-benefits for public health, economic development and the transition to net-zero emissions.

Mobilizing new sources of funding for clean air

The closing plenary explored how to unlock new sources of financing for clean air, with a particular focus on philanthropy and innovative funding models. Speakers agreed that the challenge is not simply the scale of the problem, but how clean air opportunities are presented to potential funders.

Christa Hasenkopf (EPIC) argued that attracting new donors will require engaging beyond the traditional air quality community. She encouraged participants to emphasize clean air's "impact superpower"—the fact that relatively small reductions in air pollution can deliver outsized health, economic and climate benefits. Speakers also stressed the importance of proactively approaching funders rather than relying solely on existing grant calls, tailoring proposals to donors' priorities and making a compelling case for why a project represents the missing piece needed to achieve impact. Looking ahead, participants noted that a new wave of global philanthropy, driven by the growth of AI-related wealth, could present significant opportunities for the clean air community if it is prepared with strong, investment-ready proposals.

The OpenAir Foundation highlighted its Community Grants Programme, which supports underserved communities by closing air quality data gaps, strengthening local capacity to deploy low-cost sensor networks, and increasing public awareness. The Foundation also showcased innovative financing approaches, including leveraged funding, community crowdfunding and digital platforms that enable local participation.

Coefficient Giving emphasized that funding decisions are increasingly guided by potential impact, cost-effectiveness and the extent to which an issue remains neglected. Speakers also noted that co-benefits, institutional capacity to absorb funding, and the ability to demonstrate measurable outcomes are becoming increasingly important considerations for donors.

Representing the Clean Air Fund, Vumile Senene outlined the Fund's focus on supporting ambitious, system-level interventions that generate evidence for decision-makers, strengthen civil society advocacy, and bridge the persistent gap between policy and implementation. Priority is given to high-impact sectors, including transport, while supporting long-term systems change rather than isolated projects.

The discussion concluded that unlocking greater investment will require combining robust evidence with compelling narratives, demonstrating not only the scale of the air pollution challenge, but also the practical, high-impact solutions that are ready to be implemented.